Bourbon and Bio-hazards: A Wanderer's Tale
by FranticJ3
Summary: Thrusted into the wasteland within the East Central Commonwealth, Devon finds himself endlessly wandering and searching for safety. When he finds his way to Louisville he meets a potential friend and finds a purpose in the Wasteland
1. Chapter 1 - Heresy

"Are you insane?!" I exclaimed. I had never felt anger this powerful flowing through my veins. My heart was racing, as was my mind. He looked back at me.

"Devon, you don't understand… We must always be learning. The Overseer's job is to continue the plans set in place by his predecessor. If we don't, then crucial scientific information is lost."

I couldn't filter through the hundreds of thoughts racing through my mind. For the longest time I trusted Austin. Hell I even thought I might be falling for him. When he told me he had something to share, something no one else could know, I never imagined this. What monster would poison those around him for science?

"Radiation in the water supply is learning? Is science? How the hell do you sleep at night?!" I had raised my arms above my head out of pure anger. I usually wasn't this animated.

"Devon keep your voice down! You're not supposed to be in here and you're most certainly not supposed to know this."

He was right. No matter the attraction he constantly reminded me of our forbidden relationship. An Overseer and a Vault Dweller weren't supposed to interact how we did. I had always let feelings dictate my actions much more often than a well-thought-out approach. This lead to me being in all sorts of sticky situations, my current state notwithstanding. This time, though, my feelings of anger and betrayal were overtaking my affection for him.

I stood in his office seething with anger. The grey steel walls only brought the mood down further. The dimly lit room was something of a mood setting when we would be more intimate. The low-hanging lamp from the ceiling was one of my least favorite things about this room. The anger only fueled my desire to rip it from the ceiling, although I was unsure what I'd do with it had I actually gotten it to sever itself from the short canopy.

"I have to tell the others," I asserted. "This will not stand Austin. How could you eve-"

"You will not tell the others!" he interjected while slamming his fist on his desk. "I understand you are upset Devon," he said, lifting his fist and pointing directly at me, "but the last thing you will do is unravel my position as Overseer and the research we are doing here." He paused for a moment, most likely expecting a response from myself, but then quickly came to his own conclusion. "I will not hesitate to open the Vault door for you."

I slumped a bit as I stood in front of his desk. I couldn't tell the citizens of the Vault. If I did, I imagine something unpleasant would happen. Riots, persecution, execution? The blind following of the Overseer was religious in presentation and in tone and any outspoken disagreement was outright heresy. I didn't like the way everyone worshipped the Overseer, but it did help that I was emotionally attached to him so I could easily fool the others should the need arise. But after learning that he poisoned his followers, the real heresy revealed itself and I would not stand for such heinous actions. Unfortunately it was apparent I would not be able to spread the truth. Even if it could escape this room, neither Austin nor the dwellers of Vault 89 would stand for such "heresy" in the name of the Great Overseer.

"You'd kick me out just to keep this from the very people you're hurting?" I scoffed. "How egotistical can you really be?" I knew Austin liked himself and was a very confident person, but could being seen as a deity really make him this over-zealous with his position? The more I thought, the more questions arose. Answers did start finding their way into my mind after a moment though.

"You know it makes plenty of sense now that I think about it. Dying in your 40s, being sick every week, and 'water supply issues' every other day? I'm surprised no one's figured it out at this point."

Having stunning revelations was quite the experience. When something doesn't make full sense, but I can at least grasp the reality of it, I tend to accept it until proven otherwise. When shown another angle of looking at it, often the truth, I find multiple doors open in my mind. Right now was no exception, rather the epitome of it actually. Stepping through each door connected dots I hadn't thought to be connected. The stories of life lasting longer and infrequent sickness outside of the vault and before the war made sense considering they weren't drinking radiation like we had been.

Austin continued to stare at me, more than likely expecting another outburst, but I quickly realized it would do no good. He would stay unmoved, ready to kick me out of this vault if I even spoke the words "radiation" or "water" outside of his office. I guess I couldn't blame him as he was only following orders. But then again the orders also say he must refrain from personal relations with Vault Dwellers. Where was the line? I imagine this rule was in place so he wouldn't stop the radiation testing should he fall for someone. He was clearly not going to stop and just wanted me to know so he didn't have to hide it from me. At least that's what he wanted me to think; I doubt he would've struggled with hiding it. Was this some sort of perverted romantic gesture? Did he expect me to believe that the outcome was truly worth the pain and suffering caused by all of this?

As my mind raced, I was so engulfed with hatred and confusion towards the man I thought I cared for that I didn't notice the guards that had stepped into the room, most likely to escort me out.

As I glanced back and acknowledged their presence, Austin broke the silence. "Devon I am truly sorry for this. I wanted to show you that I trusted you. I wanted us to be able to do this together." To his credit, he sounded sincere. Did that dingy old computer in front of him have an acting handbook programmed into it too? "I cannot give up my position, and I cannot risk you tainting my devoted dwellers' opinion of the world they live in." He stood up from his chair and stepped to the side of his desk. "I want you to be able to stay here and live among the people you've come to care so much for. But if you do so, I cannot stand for you to speak of what you've learned today."

I was shocked he was offering to keep me here. Banishment was the result of heresy and if this wasn't heresy then I must've been hearing the preacher's words incorrectly.

"Austin, you know I cannot do that." Within seconds my arms were seized by the guards. Their grips were tight and cutting off circulation to my forearms and hands. I could barely move meaning any attempt at escaping was futile. Even if I broke free, what would I do? There really wasn't a way out and the guards were nearly twice my size. I truly was at his mercy, and not the way I normally prefer it.

"Then you've left me with no choice." He averted my gaze and looked at the ground in front of him. I had a hard time believing he was ashamed to look at me. His bright blue eyes stared away and what looked like tears started to form. A wonderful performance. Even better than the time he told me that he held the weight of the Vault on his back. I suppose it's no wonder he poisoned it to keep the weight from becoming too heavy.

"Guards, please take Mr. Turmon to the Vault door." He lifted his arm and pointed towards the door to his office. "The likes of his do not belong amongst the wonderful people of Vault 89."

My heart sank into my stomach. Within a matter of what felt like seconds I had gone from caring for this man to being appalled at his actions, followed by being banished from my home of 25 years with a looming fate of being thrusted into the radiated wasteland. As I fought off tears, I lashed out at Austin.

"You son of a bitch! I thought what we had meant something to you!" I started thrashing about, throwing my limbs every which way I could move under the strong submission of the guards while shouting multiple profanities at Austin. He turned his back to me fighting off tears and emotions. Or maybe that's what he wanted me to believe. I wonder if he ever had feelings for me. I hope he was feeling pain and misery for this. I felt a bit of happiness with the thought of causing him pain and emotional struggle. A taste of his own medicine. But then, everything went black.


	2. Chapter 2 - A New Friend

I awoke to a warm bright light shining down on me while laying in something coarse and rough.

 _Dirt,_ my mind echoed. I felt extremely disoriented and tried to recall the last thing that had happened. I sat up and started thinking.

 _Austin_ , I recalled, _he was going to open the Vault Door_ … Then it suddenly hit me.

"The Wasteland! Oh dear God..."

I laid back down on the ground and stared up in the air as a million thoughts rushed through my mind. He really did it: Austin had thrown me out into the untamed Wasteland where vicious cannibals and nuclear radiation would soon feast on my exposed flesh. I lifted my hands into the air and stared blankly at them, as if they'd have an answer for me. I then noticed I was still in my Vault Jumpsuit, which meant most of my skin would be protected from the radiation to some degree, but that seemed to be the least of my worries.

The shock I was in had paralyzed me to the point where a few moments had passed before I felt the ability to move again. As I attempted to stand up, I felt a soreness on the back of my head. I reached my hand back to make sure some radiated bug hadn't already sunk its fangs into my skull only to feel a large welt. Where did this come from? I tried to remember being hit in the head but only remembered kicking and screaming while being subdued by Austin's guards. Had the guards struck me in the head? I don't remember being attacked, only being held down. Maybe they hit me to knock me unconscious and to stop the squirming. Is that why I couldn't remember anything after that point?

I attempted to stand up but since there wasn't really anything to grab onto, I struggled valiantly. Eventually I managed to get to my feet and felt relieved no one had been watching, at least not that I was aware of. I tried to analyze my surroundings for some sort of landmark. When I turned around, I saw what I could only assume was the entrance to the Vault I was just dismissed from. It was a colossal mound of light brown dirt with a narrow passageway carved into it. I believe this is what our storybooks would have called a hill or mountain, but was most likely a hill. Mountains were supposedly gigantic and covered in snow at the top. It still was rather large with small, prickly weeds growing in random spots along it, at least as far as I could see. Must've been a nice sight before the Great War. I wonder if it was a tourist attraction.

In the distance I heard cracking sounds and quickly turned my focus in their direction. I needed to get somewhere safe, if a safe place even existed out here. Armed with nothing but my Vault Jumpsuit and fists, I figured I wouldn't last long if something unpleasant came my way, and sitting out in the open like this only made me an easy target for the picking. I scanned the horizon in the opposite direction of where I had heard the loud cracking noises. While I wasn't sure what they were, I didn't want to find out in my current condition.

A Vault wouldn't just be randomly placed here without a city nearby. I recalled my studies from when I was younger: the Vaults were made as a safety plan for when nuclear war broke out. Since there wouldn't be much time to spare should something like that happen, they needed to be quickly accessible. Hopefully wherever this nearby city or town was, it would be safe enough to gather my thoughts and plan out my next steps.

I'd found a beaten up road and had been following it for what felt like hours. I wasn't entirely sure how long I'd been wandering, but no city was in sight. The road I was following didn't have any significant landmarks on it, only the occasional rusted car or dead body. While unsettling, I hadn't managed to find anything useful but also hadn't found anything that was out to get me, so I considered myself lucky to a certain degree. I imagined I didn't have much longer before someone or something came across a defenseless meal meaning I needed to find a safe place quickly or else I was doomed.

As I looked ahead down the road, I noticed something in the distance. I couldn't make out what it was, but it was definitely on the move so I walked off the road and into the brush to my right and decided to wait and see what it did. Whatever it was, it was big and slow. As the figure got closer it appeared to be some sort of animal but I honestly couldn't tell what kind. The teachers back in the vault said that things on the surface after nuclear war could be much different than our story books portrayed them; twice in size or multiple appendages were fair game. Once it was close enough it appeared to be a cow but something was off about it…

 _It has two heads,_ I realized.

I couldn't recall cattle being carnivorous so I edged out of the brush slowly. Maybe I could befriend it and at least have something to help defend me should the need arise. If this cattle could survive then surely I had something that resembled a chance.

The cow's heads both noticed me and it stopped in its tracks. I expected it to start turning around to get away but it just stood there, staring at me as I edged closer. Eventually I was close enough to it to place my hand on its side. As I reached out, it exhaled loudly through its nose.

"Don't worry, I'm just as nervous as you," I reassured it.

My hand finally made contact with the cow's side and its rough skin was something I'd never felt before. I started petting it and softly reassuring it to make sure I didn't scare it off. Sure enough the cow accepted my peace offering and brushed its head up against my chest with a slight lick. Hopefully the other head wasn't too upset at the affection. As I inspected it, I quickly noticed the extremely large udders on the cow's underside, which told me _it_ was a _she_.

"If we're going to travel together you're gonna need a name," I told her.

 _What kind of name should I give her?_ I thought. _Probably shouldn't call her something implying two heads. We don't need hurt feelings in this relationship._

"I think I'll call you Sheila," I said, "unless you have anything to say about it." I smiled and chuckled a bit. Sheila seemed indifferent to her new name but I had a feeling she was okay with it. I started walking the direction she had come from and she reluctantly turned around and started following. Seemed like Sheila was a fine name by her standards.

As we walked I couldn't help but admire what was left of the landscapes around me. The teachers in the Vault said we were somewhere in the state of Kentucky. I had a vague idea of what states were but had no idea why it was called Kentucky. I imagined it was a nice place before radiation killed the life that was once here.

We passed multiple stumps and half-standing trees along with tons of brush until we came up on a large line of cars. My heart jumped. So far the few cars I had found had nothing in them except skeletons. Maybe my luck was changing? I picked up the pace to a light jog out of sheer hope. There were easily ten cars, maybe even fifteen so there had to be something for us to use.

The first car I found had two skeletons in the front seat wearing tattered clothing and nothing of interest on them. The back seat was empty and the trunk was stuck so I couldn't ransack it. The next few cars were a similar tale only the skeleton count varied and apparently people didn't keep things in their trunk. At one point I saw what I could only imagine was formerly a small child.

After each car I had to take a moment to adjust. I hadn't been around this many dead bodies, especially not children's bodies. This was just unbelievable. These poor souls were out driving when their lives were taken from them. The more I thought about it the heavier my heart felt.

"Sheila, you should be happy to be a cow," I told her. "As far as I know you don't have to deal with wars or hatred, at least not on this level." Sheila let out a soft moo, which I assumed was her agreeing with my sentiments.

As I approached the next car I heard something rustling in the brush off to my left. I ducked down quickly and signaled for Sheila to do the same. She clearly didn't understand what I wanted her to do, but then again the size of her udder might have prevented her from crouching down with me. I glanced around quickly to find something resembling a weapon and found a rusted iron pipe that most likely fell off the bottom of the car I was pressed up against. I held it close and prayed that whatever was rustling in the bush was just Sheila's long lost friend.

I slowly rose to where I could peer through the window of the car I was behind to see what was on the other side and my heart sunk immediately. Out of the bush came some sort of humanoid, only it looked much different than any human I'd ever seen. Wearing only a ripped pair of shorts, the creature was grumbling and sniffing around on the ground. The more and more it sniffed the closer it got to me. At this point I felt like it was onto my scent, meaning I couldn't just sit here. I needed to move.

I inched my way to the front of the car while the creature was moving towards the rear end with its back to me. I snuck around and gathered up every ounce of courage I could find to defend myself. I knew what I needed to do: bull rush this creature, smash its skull in, and hope it was alone. As I started to stand and put my plan into action, I heard a loud crunching sound from under my foot. I quickly glanced down and saw the broken glass I had just created via my foot and weight. I looked back up at the creature hoping it hadn't heard only to see it whip its head around and look directly at me.

No pupils, charred skin, and an exposed brain were what allowed me to come to a realization that this was a human at one point but radiation had killed him. Part of me wanted to see if he had any mind left to possibly be diplomatic with. That was until he darted at me growling loudly like a rabid animal. I stepped to the side as he got close and grabbed his arm for leverage. I swung my pipe at the back of his head and struck it, which sent tremors down my arm. Upon hitting his skull I let go of his arm and watched him stumble forward from his previous momentum. While my blow to the head was successful, it was clearly not enough. I tried to capitalize on his flat-footed state by tackling him to the ground. He landed face first into the pavement while scrambling for any control he could manage, but I had him right where I wanted him. I put my left forearm on the center of his back and lifted my right arm to start beating away with the pipe when his squirming became too much for me to handle. I was thrown off his back as he tried to scurry to his feet.

I had fallen backwards and dropped my pipe. I would've been lying prone on my back too had it not been for the car behind me. As I regained my focus, I attempted to stand up only to be met by the creature. He had thrust himself at me and I had caught his arms in my hands as I was fighting off his rabid snapping jaw. My heart was racing. If I couldn't hold this mindless creature off I was going to be his next meal. I then felt a spark of adrenaline inside as if some unwoken beast had finally decided to be the hunter instead of the hunted. I quickly let go of one of the creature's arm and landed a powerful punch on his face. This knocked him off of me and onto his back. Without missing a beat I grabbed a shard of the glass I had stepped on previously and jumped onto the creature. With him subdued, I started repeatedly stabbing his chest hoping to finally end this once and for all.

With each slam of my fist it became easier and easier to land the next as the creature's life drained from him right before my eyes. After a few blows to his chest he was clearly dead, but I couldn't stop. The adrenaline in my body was going full force and I had unleashed some beast inside me onto this cannibal. It wasn't until Sheila had let out a loud _moo!_ that I instantly was brought back to reality. I looked down at the bloody corpse below me and was horrified. I had killed someone. Well, I wasn't entirely sure this was even a person anymore, but they were human at some point and I was the force behind the stake that was driven through their heart.

I looked at my now bloody hands again and they failed to provide any answers. I felt truly lost. I'd never taken a life and I'd never been this close to death before. What was that feeling that caused me to do this? It felt so foreign.

I stood up and glanced at Sheila who seemed unphased by what had just occurred. I slowly walked back over to her and leaned myself up against the car we had previously hidden behind.

"Sheila…" I softly said, trembling. "You're really lucky to be a cow."


	3. Chapter 3 - On the Rocks

It had felt like days. I kept seeing signs for "Cincinnati." 50 miles. 44 miles. 36 miles. What even was a mile? It felt arbitrary. I counted the steps I'd taken between each "mile" and it never was consistent. Somewhere around 2,000 is the best guess I could make, meaning I still had over 60,000 steps to go. Wonderful.

It was going even slower with Sheila, god love her. I'm sure it was the sun and endless fields of nothing that made it feel like she was stopping every three seconds to eat. Or maybe she actually was stopping that frequently. At this point I wasn't even sure if today was yesterday. Or tomorrow. The constant berating of sunlight on me was surely good for my mental health at this point, no doubt.

After a long while of endless wandering, the sun was going down yet again meaning I had to find a nearby area that had enough cover to ensure my safety while sleeping. In the few days I had been travelling I had managed to find some clothes that weren't completely destroyed and that actually fit. Nothing fancy, just a white shirt and brown pants. But now I wasn't a blue and yellow walking target in a field of light brown and sprinkled in greens. Or in other words, I wasn't a sitting duck to passerbys, which gave me some piece of mind.

The worst part of all of this was finding food. While I hadn't been one to eat a five-star meal in the vault, I still needed something to keep me going. Every now and then we'd pass a bush or tree with something hanging from it and I'd carelessly devour it. Berries or fruits most likely, who knows. Didn't really care if I'd end uo sick or dead from it, but so far the items I'd found were semi-decent tasting and not lethal, so I had that going for me.

At one point we were attacked by two large cockroaches, of which most called them radroaches due to their size and mutation thanks to the radiation. Every now and then these would find a way into the Vault and we'd have to kill them. The best part though is that radroaches have a decent amount of meat in them of which can be cooked and eaten with no real consequence, outside if the odd taste. This had gotten me through a few nights as I knew the concept of rationing since we had to be very particular about that in the Vault. We didn't have an endless supply of food. We had a lot, don't get me wrong, but it was finite. The rationing was helping to keep me from starving to death.

Something interesting I was noticing with the passing landscapes and signs was an obsession with "bluegrass" and bourbon. I was unaware grass could be blue. The story books from the vault had it all depicted as green. This definitely was prior to the war so nuclear radiation probably wouldn't have caused that one. What in the world would cause that?

Bourbon was something I'd heard of as many of the elders in the vault talked extremely highly of it. Alcohol was a cherished form of drink. We had reserves in the vaults but due to the low quantity it was never dug into except for very special occasions, like Austin's birthday. Even then he'd be the only one drinking it. He called it a poison to be taken in the smallest quantities so I was always confused why the elders praised it. I'd never had any myself and while I was definitely eager to try it, permission was never granted. Most of the vault knew nothing of the reserves either, so yet another secret I'll most likely take to the grave.

But the more and more I was seeing these "Bluegrass state" signs, the more I wanted to see this phenomenon. Maybe before the war they tested radiation on grass? Was the grass dyed to be a different color? Oh what about Sheila? If we found it would she have a new favorite food? The curiosity was killing me. For now I would continue on but deep down I was determined to find this bluegrass.

I had made camp the night before just "2 miles" outside of Cincinnati. While I could've easily made it before nightfall, I wanted to be well rested and make my way to this location with the sun high above for the best overall sight. I didn't want to risk nighttime horrors getting the upper hand. I hadn't run into any more zombified humans like the day I met Sheila, thank God. But going to a city, assuming that's what Cincinnati was, meant I'd have a higher likelihood of encountering them. Or at least I'd assume.

After a decent amount of time walking, Sheila and I came to the top of an extremely tall landscape and found ourselves overlooking the remains of a city. A large city. The buildings went further than I could see. Most were rough looking, with gaping holes in the sides of them and a fair amount of twisted metal stretching upward into the horizon. A few look like they had collapsed into themselves. A large body of water seemingly divided the land Sheila and I were on and this large city. Along the coast I saw some shipwrecked vessels and then my eye caught a sight of a large circular structure that looked much more maintained than the rest. I'm not sure what it was but that might be worth investigating further.

The road we'd been following connected to a bridge that connected our side to the city. This must be Cincinnati and that bridge must be the entrance.

"Sheila, we made it. Hopefully we can find you some of that delicious bluegrass." Sheila's left head let out a loud moo. I pet her coarse head. "I'm excited too, girl."

We made our way down the hill when I started hearing those cracking sounds again. They definitely were coming from the city but I couldn't pin it down precisely where in the city. There were increasing amounts of cars on this road so we took our time looting through them. After about the fifth car we found something I had not expected: a gun! "Well this will come in handy," I had said aloud. Sheila moo'd in agreement. I hadn't the faintest idea how to use it outside of pulling the trigger. Only the guards were allowed to use them back in the Vault and they never once had to actually use them. Hopefully the same would be true for me but I had the strangest feeling that wasn't true.

As we approached the bridge the sporadic cracking noises in the distance had all but stopped. At this point the best guess I had was that these were gunshots. I wasn't sure what a gunshot sounded like, and I wasn't going to find out by shooting my newly acquired gun and potentially giving away my location to any unwanted passersby if that was truly what I was hearing. We slowly crossed the bridge, looting each car for anything useful. I was attempting to stay out of sight, crouching behind each and every car, but Sheila was not doing that and was also larger than every broken down scrap of metal I crouched behind so the effort was seemingly all for none. I still kept to it just in case someone or something only saw Sheila. The element of surprise would surely be on my side in that case.

When looting another car I found what I believed were bullets for my gun, but I was finding multiple sizes and lengths. Having no idea how to put them in my gun, nor which one would go in there either, I just threw them in my pockets, which were getting full and increasingly loud from the rattling of the ever-growing amount of metal casings. Why in the world were the bullets different sizes and lengths? That seemed so unnecessarily complex. Regardless, I had to put faith in the previous owner of my gun, that faith being that he or she had loaded it for me. Oh man, please let this be loaded.

We eventually made it to the end of the bridge without any issue. There was no extravagant entrance to the city as I had expected. No welcoming party or signs letting us know we had arrived. All previous signs seemed to indicate we were very close to Cincinnati so my best guess was that this was indeed the city but no visual confirmation had found its way to us. At this point I had an overwhelming surplus of options: do I enter random buildings, explore the area, or just keep walking? What about that large circular structure? If I was going to make a home of this place, or at least attempt a temporary stay, I'd need to familiarize myself with the area and find a safe place. I decided to head to the right off the bridge as that appeared to be the direction to go if I wanted to get into the heart of the city and it'd conveniently take me by the circular building. If anywhere was safe that seemed to be the place.

After a short walk I happened upon it. It was much larger than the other buildings around it and was much larger than I could've imagined. I couldn't see where it ended, and as I was admiring the building, someone shouted from a distance.

"You there! Stay where you are!" I looked in the direction of the voice and saw two men wearing metal masks and loud, clanking outfits rushing towards me from the building. They appeared to be carrying something with both hands, and as they got closer it became apparent these were guns. I contemplated turning and running, but since they hadn't attacked me they might be the welcoming party I expected earlier.

As they made their way to me, they raised their weapons at me. I began to tense up. I really hope I don't regret not turning around and bolting off in the other direction. But had I done that would Sheila had gotten the same idea? Or would they have harmed her? As my thoughts rushed through all my options that I definitely couldn't take now, the two men had finally gotten close enough to not need to shout. They stopped about ten feet from me. "State your business, trader." Trader? Why would they think of me as a trader?

"Hello, my name is Devon. I'm not sure why you think of me as a trader. I simply-"

"You are travelling with a Brahmin," one of them interrupted, "and clearly are carrying a fair amount of weight in items both in your pockets and on the back of the Brahmin." He paused as if to let me respond, but I couldn't really think of what to say. Seemingly impatient, he continued, "If you are not a trader, state your business now." His voice was getting a bit more aggressive.

I lifted my hands up and I saw them tense up. Fearing escalation of the situation I had also tensed up. "Just let me explain. A few days ago I was kicked out of my Vault and have been walking endlessly looking for something that wasn't a god damn empty field. I was hoping to find some place to make shelter and stumbled across this large… circle thing." I pointed to the circular building they had come from.

"Did you say a Vault?" The interrogator asked, appearing to ignore everything I had said outside of 'Vault'. I nodded, but didn't feel any release in tension. "Stay right there" The interrogator walked back toward the building from which he came. The other still had his weapon pointed at me and seemingly had not moved since raising it. Had I not seen him this close I'd assume he was some sort of robot given how unmoving and emotionless he appeared to be. I heard the interrogator talking in the distance and then heard another voice which I assume he was talking to. I hadn't see anyone else in the vicinity outside of myself and his partner. He must have had some sort of walkie-talkie or something. After a few moments of conversation, he turned around and walked back to us.

"Hand over any weapons on you. The mayor of Cinergy would like to speak with you." Mayor? Cinergy? What in the world… What happened to Cincinnati? My moment of hesitation seemed to worry him as the interrogator raised his gun up yet again. "I said hand over your weapons now!" His aggressiveness startled me into raising my hands higher to a surrendering position. I quickly handed my gun over and returned to my surrendered position. "That's it? You mean to tell me you walked all the way here from a Vault with a measly handgun?" He then popped a piece of the gun out from the side of it. How'd he do that? "And the gun wasn't even loaded? That's it - Donnie search his Brahmin. Put your hands behind your head." I didn't know what to do. He had my only weapon and I certainly didn't want to die. I moved my raised hands to the back of my head as they looted Sheila who was very uncomfortable with all of this, letting out multiple moos from her multiple heads.

After a moment they had finished looting her, and subsequently myself, and they had found my crowbar. "Miles this appears to be the only other potential weapon on him." Miles takes the crowbar from Donnie, glances at it and then myself over, and grows increasingly puzzled by everything. He walks back around Sheila to me, scratches his head, then reaffirms himself.

"Alright. I'm not sure what your deal is bub," he says, pointing my crowbar at me and poking me in the chest with it. "But if you try any funny business when we go into Cinergy, we will not hesitate to unload all our bullets into the back of your head, hear me?" Well that sounded pleasant. I nodded, feeling more tense than I had in a long while. "Take his Brahmin to the stables for now. I'll escort him to the Mayor." Donnie nodded and took Sheila by the reigns. She was not cooperative at first, but eventually starts to follow Donnie. I got this feeling in the pit of my stomach that she may not be treated well over there given how nice they'd been to me in the past few moments.

"Make sure you take good care of her," I blurted out, fighting back a tear. "She's all I have." Donnie scoffed and I immediately felt regret. I didn't want to be separated from Sheila and I certainly didn't want to be escorted like a convict through this building. I should've gone left off the bridge, what was I thinking?

Miles escorted me through the gates and past a few mounted guns. More guards inside gave me strange looks as we passed through. Once through the entryway we happen upon what I assume is Cinergy. It was awe-inspiring. Structures made from different types of metal and wood, dozens of people were walking around, and children were running around playing! Maybe the surface-world was safe after all! Oh how I wished I could've told everyone back at Vault 89. They could've escaped the hell they were unaware they were living in and came to the real world.

We walked past multiple different structures, most of which either had mailboxes or signs designating what they were. I hear people shouting about a sale here and others telling me to come grab a drink there. I hear murmurings from people asking about "the new guy." While I was worried about my rugged look initially, many of the people there also had a rough look to them. I suppose the difference was their smiles. Interestingly, there was no roof to this building, which I found to be a bit odd. The houses and shops had roofs from the random assortment of metal so it didn't really matter, but for such a large building I found this to be an odd design choice. The ground was dirt when I first entered but as we continued to walk there was grass sprinkled in here and there.

After a short walk, we arrived in front of a larger structure than the previous ones. There was a sign that said "Mayor's Office" so this must've been the end destination. As we walked through the makeshift metal gateway, we approached the steps to the door and a man appeared from the doorway and stepped out. He was dressed in a black suit with a large black hat. His curly black mustache was very peculiar, supporting his grin from ear to ear. He stood atop the staircase on his… porch? Deck? I had no idea. He had these makeshift pillars of twisted metal spaced evenly across it and stood easily six or seven feet higher than me on his platform.

"Hello Vault Dweller and welcome to Cinergy! I am Mayor Maddock!" He is oozing with charisma. Each line is delivered like he was on some grand stage preaching to an audience of one. "It is not often we receive visitors outside of your normal traders, and even those are few and far between. Where did you come from?"

"I came from Vault 89, sir." His smile quickly disappeared.

"Vault… 89?" He skeptically says. I hesitantly nodded. "You came armed with only a crowbar and an unloaded handgun from Vault 89?" I pause, then noded yet again. I really wish I would've learned how to load this handgun given how everyone is obsessed with pointing out how not-loaded it is. His confusion was starting to concern me. "Either you are a miracle worker or you are lying sir. Vault 89 is in prime Deathclaw territory. If you truly came from where you say, you'd have been torn to pieces before your first night alone." Deathclaw? What in the world was that? That sounded very unwelcoming. At this point he's paused for a moment. I'm unsure if he wa expecting some sort of reply but before I got a chance to say something he spoke again. "Miles, what else did you find on our visitor?"

"Not much, just a bunch of junk. Looked like he was probably looting everything he came upon on his walk here."

At this point I hadn't really spoken up for myself. Based on what I'm hearing it sounded like they thought I was some idiot wanderer who made it here on sheer dumb luck. While that was actually not far from the truth, I was worried it wouldn't bode well for me in the long run. It was at this point I decided to interject and show some backbone. "Look I have no idea what a Deathclaw is. I promise you I'm telling the truth. I came from Vault 89 looking for shelter. What can I do to convince you?"

Mayor Maddock was taken back by my sudden assertiveness. As his smile returned to his face, he pondered this question for a moment. "Why did you leave your Vault?" This caught me off-guard, even though it probably shouldn't have. I figured that telling them I was exiled was probably not the best way to gain their trust. I didn't have long to work out a response before Maddock continued on. "I ask because I've never heard of anyone coming here from Vault 89. In fact I've never heard of anyone leaving Vault 89. We had assumed you all were dead or isolationists or something." His pause gave me enough time to actually think for a moment. I came to the conclusion that lying was a bad idea.

"I found out that the water was being poisoned by our Overseer. I told him I'd tell the Vault and get him usurped and his guards knocked me out and kicked me out of the Vault." The Mayor's smile widened to a degree I was unaware was possible. I could've sworn he was blushing but that could've just been the sun beating on him. He started pacing in a circle and mumbling to himself. It was at this point I begam to wonder if I should've lied. He stopped after a few laps and let out a soft chuckle.

"You've provided me with a great deal of entertainment today." I held back a bit of a chuckle myself. Sounded like this place might not be so lively if this conversation was a worthwhile source of fun. He leaned over as if he wanted to get closer to me, but was still standing on his platform above me. "What is your name Vault Dweller?"

I raised my eyebrow slightly as I responded, "Devon."

He immediately straightened back up. "Well Devon, I believe you. For now that is." He began pacing back and forth with his arms behind his back. "I suppose it isn't impossible to make it here on nothing but sheer dumb luck. After all the fact that many of us are still alive is just that." He stopped again, turned to me, raised his finger as if he was pointing at something in the distance, and said, "While we do not have a home to offer, we do have an inn where you can make shelter." I felt a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. Actually I think I visibly slouched in place, which made me realize how tense I was from this conversation. Nonetheless, I could sleep soundly and safely for a few nights.

"Thank you Mayor Maddock."

He nodded, then motioned at Miles, who then escorted me out of the mayor's office. We backtracked through the town and I found I was getting more curious stares than previously. Or maybe I was too busy admiring the scenery to have noticed it previously. After a few moments we approached a structure with the sign "Glenda's Inn." Miles then turned to me.

"Wait here. I have to go tell Glenda she's got a guest who can't afford to stay in the inn. I'm sure this will go over well." He headed inside and I was left alone outside. Was Glenda a grumpy lady? His remark had me worried for what laid beyond that door. A few people passed by and I got more curious stares during my wait. Did I have a sign on my back that said Vault Dweller? I changed out of that vault suit so I shouldn't have that yellow 89 plastered on me. What was the deal? A few moments later Miles opened the door and poked his head out. "Alright bub come on in."

Upon entering the inn I was taken back. The dimly lit room was lined with tables and chairs, most of which were filled with people conversing and drinking. The air was musky and there was a very strong stench of cigarette smoke in the air. I never really liked this back at Vault 89 and definitely was not excited it didn't die a horrible death on the surface. At the opposite end of where I stood was a long counter, most likely the bar. An older lady was cleaning some glasses and staring directly at me. I could only assume this was Glenda. I got a few looks as I walked across the room, escorted by Miles. Most of the people were too preoccupied with their conversations to give me a second thought but the looks I did get appeared to be more out of curiosity than anything else. Miles motioned for me to go to the bar where the woman I identified as Glenda previously was washing those dishes. I approached the bar.

"Heh, so you're the guy staying in my inn for free, eh?" she chuckled. She had a very curious accent. She was definitely on the older side with some wear and tear to her face. I noticed a scar going down her face from the top of her right eye to just below it. I wondered what the story behind that was. Her brown hair had plenty of gray to show but it wasn't all discolored yet. Bags under her eyes seemed to indicate she was tired but the smile on her face seemed to contradict that. That didn't mean she was someone of whom I should get on the bad side of, especially if that's where the story of the scar came from.

I tried not to hesitate to respond but I didn't want to make an ass out of myself. "Uh yes, I suppose so," I chuckled

"Sit down." She nodded her head at a seat just to her right. As I sat she grabbed a glass and sat it in front of me. "What kinda drinks they got in those fancy vaults?"

"Water and the occasional soda were my-"

"No, no, no stupid," she interrupted, waving her washcloth hand at me. She chucked the cloth into a crate on the ground not too far from where she was standing. She looked back at me and said, "Alcohol. What kinda alcohol they got?"

"Oh. None basically." I responded. She went from smug to completely dumbfounded in a heartbeat. Her eyebrow raised and her smile went from full-on to mild. I was quick to clarify, "Well we had alcohol, but we couldn't drink it. Technically." Her eyebrow rose even higher as I could see the curiosity building. I continued, "It was reserved for the Overseer and was only allowed to be drank at their discretion. My Overseer never let anyone drink." She busted out laughing. That was not what I expected her response to be.

She threw some ice cubes into the glass in front of me and began making a drink, occasionally looking up at me and smirking. When it looked finished she shouted, "Molly!" A girl came rushing up and grabbed the drink. She then took it to a nearby table where two men were sitting. "Alright kid how old are ya?"

"23," I responded.

"Perfect! The drinking age was 21 before the whole world went to shit. I'd like to think we're all still trying to keep some traditions in tact so you can have this." She grabbed another glass, sat it in front of me, threw two ice cubes into it, and poured a dark brown liquid into it. She then put the bottle away and slouched where she stood staring directly at me.

"What is it?" I ask while examining it from a distance. She didn't answer. She just scooted the glass a little closer to me with an ever-growing smirk on her wrinkled face. I picked it up and smelled it. The smell burned the back of my throat and nostrils. "Oh that is… interesting." I didn't want to offend her but she smiled and seemed to have stifled a laugh. I took a small sip of it and immediately regretted it. It burned everything it touched; my tongue, cheeks, and throat were all scorched by it. This apparently showed in my face as Glenda busted out laughing.

"Oh kid you crack me up."

"What in the world was that?" I asked.

"Bourbon. The best drink in the world." She smiled and downed the rest of the drink in one fell swoop for me. She slams the glass down in front of me and exclaims, "Welcome to the East Central Commonwealth kid!"

Bourbon. If this is what those signs were clamoring about, I was fearful of what bluegrass really was.


End file.
